Monody
by pyxistar
Summary: Who knew forever could be counted in days? [credit to my friend from mlb amino Reina for writing the paragraph at the end of this chapter for me!]


Sometimes being left out in the sun too long is worse than being shrouded in darkness. Perhaps she ought to be grateful for the happy summer days, the laughter and the games. Perhaps she just looked at the world from a broken perspective, a skewed point of view that left her unable to feel the true power of the sunlight.

Maybe she was just ungrateful.

But the sunburns and the chapped lips didn't feel like the gentle kiss of a caring giant. The silent threat of heat exhaustion looming over her felt like a threat, something meant to keep her protests from leaving her lips. The sea salt in the wind tasted like deception.

And he was her sun.

She watched in horror as his eyes scanned the room. Memories had been stolen off the walls, clothing had been removed from the still open wardrobe, and their car keys were perched between her fingers. The silver winked mockingly in the light as Adrien gawked at her, his whole frame condensed as the puzzle pieces came together.

"You're leaving." An observation. Broken. He ran his fingers through his hair, a broken record muttering the words back to him to fill the emptiness when Marinette could only avert her eyes to the ground in shame. If only Tikki could see her now. "You're not coming back."

"I just need a break." She said. She needed the moon. It's gentle light was more subtle than the sun, cool and relaxed. She needed time to rest her eyes. Marinette needed to be able to finally wake up to a new tomorrow.

But how can she when the sun can't let go of the daytime? The glory days could never end if the sun refused to set. Marinette just wanted them to end. That part of her died a long time ago.

"Was it something I did?"

"No."

"Then stay!"

Marinette finally turned her back towards him. His light ghosted around her, about to engulf her, but she shrugged off his advances. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you love me."

"Don't I?"

"You did. You have. But do you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it! I love you. Marinette, I love you!"

"You do," Marinette agreed lightly, tapping her finger down on the tip of the key. "But this isn't what being in love feels like, is it? You're just afraid, Adrien, and so am I but we can't keep doing this! We go out everyday and it's great but when we're home we barely say a word!"

"We can talk about whatever you want." Adrien compromised. A raincloud capped his blistering light. Marinette sighed in relief, collapsing back onto their bed as the shade overcame her.

"That isn't enough, Adrien. You can't bring these things back from the dead. Who we were...they're gone. You're living in the past. Let it go," she looked back towards him again, wiping a single tear away with the back of her hand. "Let me go. Please."

"You're asking me to give up! It's not like you to just...give up. Ladybug never gave up."

"I'm not Ladybug anymore! I'm a full grown woman! I want to get married, Adrien! I want kids! But I want these things with someone who wants them just as much as I do, and I know that's not what you want. Open your eyes. You love what's been, but this isn't love anymore. This is the fear to let go, and I don't want to pretend with you anymore." Marinette breathes through her nose. She went to twirl her pigtail nervously around her finger, only to remember that she had chopped off her hair long ago. Instead, Marinette rubbed the back of her head, looking anywhere but in Adrien's direction.

He was silent, his eyes mournful. But when he finally blinked, he realized that Marinette was indeed a woman of twenty-five years. Had so much time really past? He turned towards the collection of memories on the wall for proof, but only half remained, mostly his mementos from his glory days. Pictures of him as Chat Noir with celebrities greeted his gaze. Even a portrait of him and Marinette kissing on their graduation day hung still, crooked as it was, and he realized how long ago that suddenly felt. He couldn't remember what it felt like to kiss like that.

He couldn't remember the taste of her lips, or the warmth of her love. He remembered a perpetual midnight that couldn't grace him with the moon. The lunar goddess abandoned him, and he was alone and cold, drowning in a sea of ice and chips of betrayal.

He wished he could have the luxury of drowning.

He veiled his mind in all black, letting his eyes flutter shut. "So this is goodbye then?"

"For now. It doesn't have to be forever." Marinette replied. Adrien sighed. Marinette slipped off the side of the bed and opened up her arms, allowing him to slowly fall into her embrace. He returned the gesture slowly, afraid to ruin the moment with his selfish need to hold onto her one last time.

"We'll still talk?"

"Of course!"

And so the embrace ended. Marinette took her things - her treasured memories, her clothes, her sweet aroma and her gentle heart - and carried them away. Adrien ached in his bones, wishing that times could return to the have-beens and the old days, but in his heart he felt a small pebble of relief.

Chat Noir closed his eyes. He felt the suit - an extension of his flesh, his nerves, his soul - surrounding his body one last time. His father's reign of treachery had come to an end.

He felt something take his hand.

Chat turned towards Ladybug, who smiled and squeezed his fingers gently. "I guess this is it," she chuckled nervously, voicing the thoughts he had been trying to ignore all day.

"Yeah." He searched the constellations in her eyes for solace; she was one of the only people that could understand. "We have to say goodbye to our miraculous...to our kwamis."

"But we'll still be friends, right? We've gone through too much just to throw this all away!" Sixteen year old Ladybug whispered. They needed each other - they needed the companionship of someone that could understand, someone they could love.

Chat Noir's lips curled into a small smile. "Forever and always, Milady."

 _Adrien, one day the sun will swallow the mighty earth, turning all their happy memories into ash that'll wander the galaxies, reminiscing the old days. And if earth itself was unable to ensure itself an eternity, then how did you promise me forever in your vow?_


End file.
